November 23, 2009Health and Wellness: It’s Everyone’s Responsibility

Being well rested, eating right, exercising and eliminating dangerous substances from your body are the best ways to ensure that you are happy and thus more productive and more able to enjoy your work.

What do all these maladies have in common? They are all preventable. But who’s responsible for preventing them? The employees themselves is what most people would say. If they smoke, drink or eat to excess, that is their own fault, right? Wrong. Obesity in adults is up 74% since 1991, making 60% of adults overweight or obese. These numbers must mean that this isn’t just an individual problem. The use of high fructose corn syrup instead of sugar in most products has caused a lot of health problems for the average American.

What can we, as employers, do about it? Limit or eliminate employees’ access to bad foods, soft drinks and cigarettes while they are at work. The Bama facilities have been Tobacco free since 2006, and we have removed all “junk” food and regular sodas from the vending machines.

Also, physical exercise is important for the body and mind. The Department of Health and Human Services recommends 30 minutes of aerobic exercise 5 days a week for adults. If our employees all got the recommended amount of exercise per week, they would be happier, less absent and more productive. At Bama we have 3 health facilities, one at each of our plants. Another way of encouraging exercise is to partner with a nearby gym. Pay them a monthly fee to allow your employees to exercise for free. Allow employees to leave 30 minutes early, or take 30 extra minutes for lunch, as long as it is for gym use. These are just a few ways to encourage employees to be healthier, both for themselves and for your bottom line.

Being well rested, eating right, exercising and eliminating dangerous substances are the best ways to ensure that you are happy and thus more productive and more able to enjoy your work.